British Powerhouses
It runs from the Midlands to the south west of England and on a wet, miserable, Sunday evening took me to the village of Ditcheat.
From there, Paul Nicholls has established himself as Britain’s pre-eminent jumps trainer. For the past five golden years, he’s been crowned champion and remarkably the equine cast has barely changed. Kauto Star and Denman may be in the veteran stage, but they still spearhead his raid on chasing’s blue riband, the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
He tragically lost one of his rising stars when Pride Of Dulcote suffered a fatal injury at Ascot in his prep race for Cheltenham. That magnifies the achievement of Nicholls and his team in keeping their stable stalwarts at the top of their game for so long.
Both Kauto Star and Denman are set to appear at their sixth successive festivals, and Big Buck’s is bidding to win the Ladbrokes World Hurdle for a third year running. With Master Minded back on song after a wind operation and looking to regain his sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase crown, you can see why no-one’s laughing at this ‘Dad’s Army’ cast. Here are his thoughts on the established stars:
Kauto Star: He’s a little bit more forward in his coat this year than some of the others and he looks great. He was a bit disappointing in the King George at Kempton. If he hadn’t made a bad mistake he would have been second, beating Riverside Theatre who has won a big race since. He’s by no means a back number.
Denman: He had his soft palate cauterised, which is a minor operation. In England, when we do breathing operations, we do hobdaying and soft palate at the same time, but over in Ireland they just hobday them. He was hobdayed before he ran as a three-year-old. When he ran in the Hennessy and Gold Cup, he was just fading in the last furlong and I said to Paul (Barber) that I was concerned about his breathing. We spoke to our vet Jeff Lane, who had a look, and he agreed, so we had his palate done which might, and just might, bring out a few more pounds of improvement in him.
Big Buck’s: He had a couple of racecourse gallops with Denman — just to help chivvy him along a bit — and he’s the sort of horse who needs plenty of work. He hasn’t had a hard race for a while and the last thing I want to do is have him going into the World Hurdle underdone. I’m very happy with how he looks right now and the way he’s going — he’s bang on target. Grands Crus looks very good opposition — but we learnt last year that no race is a two-horse race and there are plenty of good horses in the race who could run well — Willie Mullins has two good ones in Ireland. On form, he’s still the one they’ve all got to beat though.
Master Minded: Last season was a bit of a damp squib and we had a few little problems with him — the rib and others. He was never at his best and at the end of last season we were at the top of the gallops and he was making a noise. So we had a breathing op and he’s been a different horse. I’m really looking forward to running him at Cheltenham — he’s full of confidence and back to where he was before.
The Nicholls dark horse for the festival was Pistolet Noir for the Coral Cup, but he was soundly beaten at Taunton only 24 hours after my visit. What is it they say about trainers not making tipsters? I can pass on a very good word for Join Together in the Albert Bartlett though, assistant Dan Skelton nominating him as his bet of the week.
FROM Ditcheat all roads — well, the M5 — led to Swindon and the Barbury Castle yard of Alan King. He endured a torrid 2010 with a virus-ravaged campaign and a blank festival. He isn’t anticipating the same fate this time around. The big guns are Medermit, a worthy favourite in the Arkle, and Mille Chief in the Champion Hurdle. Don’t forget Bensalem. He carried the welter-burden of being the Ord banker into last year’s William Hill Handicap Chase and was tanking along when he fell at the second last. Here’s Alan’s thoughts on them:
Medermit: I’m very excited by him and was delighted with his win in the Scilly Isles. That convinced us to go for the Arkle rather than the Jewson. He ticks a lot of the right boxes for the race, he travels very well, has a good cruising speed and his jumping is getting better by the race. They’re the three main requirements of an Arkle winner.
Mille Chief: His win in the Kingwell didn’t seem to impress everyone but he battled on very well from the last and I’m hoping the little bit of match practice will bring him on again. He hadn’t really had a proper race before and he took it very well. Good ground will help him but I’m under no illusions that he has to improve again to beat the big boys but we haven’t seen the best of him yet. Good ground is the key, he has gears and soft ground just blunts his speed.
Bensalem: He was very poorly in the summer and it was touch and go for a while. He came back from his owners in Ireland and seemed well but within 12 hours had a raging temperature and got pneumonia and then pleurisy. Some people didn’t think he’d survive. For the horse to get back is amazing and he will go back over fences at Cheltenham. There’s no point taking Big Buck’s and Grands Crus on in the World Hurdle but I’m sure the old ability is still there. I’m convinced he’s as good as he was. Medermit was the King banker for the festival while Salden Licht is thought to be a big player in whichever handicap hurdle option he takes up. Connections are convinced he’d have been second at worst but for coming to grief two out in the totesport Trophy.
FROM Barbury Castle it was back to the M5 — ok you’ve got the picture — and to Seven Barrows, home of Nicky Henderson and arguably the finest team of horses he has ever assembled. Where do you start with them? Well the reigning Champion Hurdle and King George hero is as good a place as anywhere. Here’s Nicky’s verdict:
Long Run: We’ve been able to leave him alone and freshen him up since he won the King George at Kempton. He’s exactly where we want him to be. The King George was his main objective and we have to accept that the horse in second wasn’t the Kauto Star we all know. He will be hard to beat at Cheltenham but I’ve no worries about the track for Long Run. He’d had a long hard season and it took it’s toll in the RSA last year and they just took him off his feet in the Paddy Power.
Henderson has incredible strength in depth to his novice hurdle and novice chase teams. He was sweet on Spirit Son in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (putting stablemate Sprinter Sacre up as a saver) and Grandouet in the Triumph. As for the handicaps, well I can’t read his poker face. Tanks For That is the horse laid out of the Grand Annual but Giorgio Quercus emerged as a big player too at Sandown. Solix will improve for the step up in-trip in the Coral Cup and for all his outward signs of displeasure at the handicap mark allotted to Quantatitiveeasing over fences, watch out for him wherever he goes.
Oscar Whisky is all set to take in the Champion Hurdle but Barry Geraghty asked the trainer more than once if he wouldn’t be happier going up in-trip for the World Hurdle. Zaynar, who does just that, is owned by a syndicate of eight big-hitters, half of whom wanted to go for the Champion. It isn’t easy this training lark.
FROM Seven Barrows it was back to the M5. By now Michaelwood Services off junction 14 was a second home and Colin on the Cornish pasty stand added to my dwindling list of Facebook friends. Our destination this time was the Cotswolds village of Temple Guiting. Grange Farm Stables are the base of Nigel Twiston-Davies and home of defending totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup champion Imperial Commander. He was one of three winners for the yard on the final day of the 2010 festival and hopes are high that two of the trio can go in again. Here are the trainer’s thoughts.
Imperial Commander: I’m really pleased with him, everything’s going right and long may it continue. He’s in great form and I couldn’t be happier. As for the race itself I fear the old guard most, Kauto Star and Denman. They’ve been there and done it and frighten me the most.
Baby Run: He’s been with us for a long time. He actually broke down so badly four years go he was given to me by a great chap Peter Orton who’s sadly no longer with us. He’s a tremendous horse who has never let us down and gets on great with Willie who will ride him in the Foxhunters. Imperial Commander is our most likely winner at Cheltenham but this chap isn’t far behind.
Pigeon Island: He won the Grand Annual last year — and don’t worry as we were just as surprised as everyone else. I’ve no idea how he did it. He has other entries this time but will go back to the Grand Annual and we’ll try and win it again. Carl Llewellyn, assistant trainer, put Baby Run up as his best bet of the entire week but don’t leave Sybarite out of your Albert Bartlett calculations and one or two at Grange Farm feel Billy Magern could have a pound or two in hand of the assessor in the Kim Muir.
With that the VW Golf was pointed north on the M5 for the final time. I won’t be sorry to say goodbye to the three-lane traffic jam but seeing the best of the home team in their own backyard was a privilege. Of the horses, Long Run made the deepest impression. He looks to be thriving and I think he should be favourite for the Gold Cup.
